Final Fantasy Grandmasters

Last updated
Final Fantasy Grandmasters
FF Grandmasters cover art.png
App icon of iOS version
Developer(s) CROOZ
Publisher(s) Square Enix
Series Final Fantasy
Platform(s) iOS, Android
ReleaseSeptember 30, 2015
Genre(s) MMORPG
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Final Fantasy Grandmasters was a mobile MMORPG spin-off of Final Fantasy XI , developed by CROOZ and published by Square Enix. It saw a Japan-only release on September 30, 2015 for iOS and Android following a closed beta that summer. [1] Part of the "Vana'diel Project", it was initially meant to be a tie-in with Rhapsodies of Vana'diel, at the time meant to be the final major scenario pack for FFXI, and a separate mobile remake of the original MMO called Final Fantasy XI R in development from Nexon, then scheduled for release in 2016. [2] However, the remake became vaporware, with Grandmasters the only additional game to be released. It was shut down on April 25, 2019. [3]

Contents

Taking place in the same fictional world of Vana'diel, the game involved players creating a character as a Hume (human) or one of four other fantasy races, Elvaan, Tarutaru, Mithra, and Galka, all depicted with chibi character models. The player traveled the world by airship in a quest to become the strongest "Grandmaster" adventurer. Meant to give a similar experience as the original game, players could select from a variety of jobs for their character, and engage in cooperative multiplayer battles against enemies, while communicating with other players using an in-game chat. [4]

Gameplay

The game allowed the player to create and customize a unique player character from one of five races, assigning them a job and equipment. From their home base, the player took quests to hunt monsters in dungeons, gaining experience points. Combat was turn-based, using an Active-Time Battle (ATB) system that gradually recharged a player's action points and allowed them to trigger moves. Up to four players could join a battle in progress without affecting the experience gained. Text chat and emoticons could be used to communicate with other players and organize raids. [1]

Release

By January 2016, the game had surpassed two million downloads. In the same month, Square Enix planned an item giveaway for the subsequent week. [5]

Reception

In a preview, Romendil of Jeuxvideo.com rated the game 3/5 points, or "Average". They called one of the game's primary strengths and weaknesses its MMO-style design, causing players to be dependent on the goodwill of others to help them. They criticized a lack of variety with quests, noting they all revolved around hunting down specific monsters, and the "relatively deserted" environments. They summed up their judgement of the game as containing interesting ideas, but also being worryingly repetitive with its missions, stating that it would nevertheless be of interest to fans of the original game. [1]

In a separate preview, Seiichiro Kawasaki of 4Gamer.net stated that he was not completely satisfied with the game compared to its original incarnation, but that it had a different form of fun. Saying that the game was easily accessible even for those who were not familiar with FFXI, he also praised how easy its party system was to use, the lack of an energy system to impede play, and its soundtrack. [6] Chris Priestman of Pocket Gamer described Grandmasters as "cute" and expressed the hope that it would be released in the West, [7] but Heath Hindman of GameRevolution had a less positive impression of the game, stating that it looked "stupid". [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Final Fantasy XI</i> 2002 video game

Final Fantasy XI, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), originally developed and published by Squaresoft and then published by Square Enix as the eleventh main installment of the Final Fantasy series. Designed and produced by Hiromichi Tanaka, it was released in Japan on May 16, 2002, for PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows-based personal computers in November of that year. The game was the first MMORPG to offer cross-platform play between PlayStation 2 and PC. It was later released for the Xbox 360 in April 2006. All versions of the game require a monthly subscription to play.

Naoshi Mizuta is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on Final Fantasy XI, but has also composed music for Mega Man & Bass, Street Fighter Alpha, and Parasite Eve II. He started his career at Capcom before moving to Square in 1998.

<i>Fantasy Earth Zero</i> 2006 video game

Fantasy Earth Zero was a 2006 massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed for Microsoft Windows. Originally developed by Puraguru and Multiterm under the title Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion, it was released by Square Enix as a paid product through its PlayOnline service. It relaunched under Gamepot as a free game, and was later handled by developer SoftGear and publisher Square Enix. Under the premise of a world where rival kingdoms engage in frequent conflicts, players choose an allied kingdom and fight against each other in groups of up to fifty players. The game closed down in September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiromichi Tanaka</span>

Hiromichi Tanaka is a Japanese video game developer, game producer, game director and game designer. He was Senior Vice President of Software Development at Square Enix and the head of the company's Product Development Division-3.

Koichi Ishii, sometimes credited as Kouichi Ishii, is a video game designer perhaps best known for creating the Mana series. He joined Square in 1987, where he has directed or produced every game released in the Mana series. He has also contributed to several games in Square Enix's SaGa and Final Fantasy series, and created the well-known chocobo and moogle characters.

The music of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI was composed by Naoshi Mizuta along with regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu and Kumi Tanioka. The Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by DigiCube in 2002, and subsequently re-released by Square Enix in 2004. Final Fantasy XI Rise of the Zilart Original Soundtrack was released by DigiCube in 2003 after the release of the Rise of the Zilart expansion for Final Fantasy XI, and re-released by Square Enix in 2004. Final Fantasy XI Chains of Promathia Original Soundtrack was produced by Square Enix in 2004 after the release of the Chains of Promathia expansion, and in 2005 Square Enix published Music from the Other Side of Vana'diel, a collection of arranged tracks from the game performed by The Star Onions, a group composed of Square Enix composers including Naoshi Mizuta, Kumi Tanioka and Hidenori Iwasaki. Final Fantasy XI Treasures of Aht Urhgan Original Soundtrack was released by Square Enix in 2006 for the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UserJoy Technology</span> Taiwanese video game company

UserJoy Technology Co., Ltd. is a Taiwanese video game development and publishing company. The company was founded in 1995 in Taipei, Taiwan, and publishes worldwide.

<i>Dragon Quest X</i> 2012 video game

Dragon Quest X: Awakening of the Five Walkers Online, also known as Dragon Quest X Online, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix. It is the tenth mainline entry in the Dragon Quest series. It was originally released for the Wii in 2012, and was later ported to the Wii U, Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, and Nintendo 3DS, all of which support cross-platform play. Other than a discontinued Windows version in Chinese, the game was not localized outside of Japan.

<i>Final Fantasy XIV</i> (2010 video game) 2010 defunct massively multiplayer online role-playing game

Final Fantasy XIV was a 2010 massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for Microsoft Windows, developed and published by Square Enix. It was the original version of the fourteenth entry in the main Final Fantasy series and the second MMORPG in the series after Final Fantasy XI. Set in the fantasy realm of Eorzea, players took control of a customized avatar as they explore the land and were caught up in both an invasion by the hostile Garlean Empire and the threat of the primals, the deities of the land's beastmen tribes. Eventually, they were embroiled in a plot by a Garlean Legatus to destroy the primals by bringing one of the planet's moons down on Eorzea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naoki Yoshida</span> Japanese video game producer (born 1973)

Naoki Yoshida, also known by the nickname Yoshi-P, is a Japanese video game producer, director and designer working for Square Enix. He is best known for his work on massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), mainly as director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and its expansions.

<i>Final Fantasy Agito</i> 2014 mobile game

Final Fantasy Agito was a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for mobile devices. The game's story was set in the universe of Final Fantasy Type-0, and was an entry in the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries. A downloadable episodic game similar to Final Fantasy Dimensions, it featured a turn-based combat system encouraging both single-player exploration and multiplayer combat. There was a day-night cycle tied to the real-world time of day, and it featured a social element whereby talking with and befriending certain characters advanced the player's ranking in the game.

<i>Rise of Mana</i> 2014 video game

Rise of Mana is a Japanese action role-playing video game developed by Goshow for iOS, Android and PlayStation Vita. It was published by series creator Square Enix in 2014 for mobile devices and 2015 for the Vita. It is the eleventh game in the Mana series, featuring a new narrative unconnected to other games in the series. The gameplay uses a similar action-based battle system to earlier Mana titles while using a free-to-play model in common with mobile titles. The story focuses on two characters, an angel and a demon, who are cast down to the mortal world in the midst of a battle and are forced to share a body in order to survive.

There are three mobile games in the Ni no Kuni series published by Level-5. The first two were developed by Level-5 in partnership with mobile distribution companies, and were released around the original games in the main series, Dominion of the Dark Djinn and Wrath of the White Witch. The first, Ni no Kuni: Hotroit Stories, is a role-playing game set before the events of the main entries. It follows the story of Oliver and his friend Mark, and their attempts to construct a car. The first chapter was released in December 2010 through Level-5's Roid service. The second game, Ni no Kuni: Daibouken Monsters, is a social card role-playing game in which players collect cards and use them in battles, and use the abilities of characters who have been trapped in the cards. It was released in a partnership with the GREE mobile service in May 2012. The third game, Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds, is a role-playing game developed by Netmarble, following a beta tester in a fictional virtual reality game. It was released in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan in June 2021, and worldwide in May 2022.

<i>JoJos Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Records</i> 2017 3D action video game

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Records is a 3D action video game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for iOS and Android, and was released on February 20, 2017 in Japan. It has since received several updates, including a major 2018 update that changed the subtitle to Diamond Records Reversal and added content from Golden Wind, the fifth part of the series.

<i>Dragon Quest Walk</i> 2019 video game

Dragon Quest Walk is a geolocation-based role-playing video game developed by COLOPL and published by Square Enix for Android and iOS. It is a free-to-play entry in the Dragon Quest series and was released in Japan on 12 September 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Romendil (2015-10-22). "Preview du Final Fantasy Grandmasters: L'expérience MMORPG sur smartphones". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  2. ↑ Romano, Sal (2015-03-19). "Square Enix announces the Vana'diel Project, details future plans for Final Fantasy XI". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  3. ↑ Sato (2019-02-25). "Final Fantasy Grandmasters' Adventure Comes To An End With An April 25 Service Termination". Siliconera . Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  4. ↑ "スマホ向けオンラインRPG『ファイナルファンタジーグランドマスターズ』が配信決定！ もうひとつのヴァナ・ディールで新しい冒険を". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). 2015-03-19. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  5. ↑ Romano, Sal (2016-01-15). "Final Fantasy Grandmasters tops two million downloads". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  6. ↑ Kawasaki, Seiichiro (2015-06-11). "「ファイナルファンタジーグランドマスターズ」インプレッション。スマホで冒険するヴァナ・ディールの感触をチェック". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  7. ↑ Priestman, Chris (2015-03-19). "[Update] Final Fantasy Grandmasters announced for iOS and Android". Pocket Gamer . Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  8. ↑ Hindman, Heath (2015-03-19). "Final Fantasy XI Not Dead Yet; Last Content Coming May 2015; Also Goes Mobile". GameRevolution . Retrieved 2023-08-06.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.